Who Wrote the Prayer for the State of Israel

Much has been written over the years trying to answer the question who wrote the prayer for the State of Israel. The two main figures in this bibliographic drama have been Rabbi Isaac Halevy Herzog and Shai Agnon. Did Herzog write it and Agnon edit it? Did Agnon write it? Yoel Rappel has researched this issue more than anyone else and he has finally found the “smoking gun.” In the Agnon archive located at the NLI he has found a letter from Rabbi Herzog to Agnon mentioning the prayer for the State of Israel that he composed. Rappel says that there are still a few unknowns about the prayer but it is now clear that Rabbi Herzog wrote it.

Rappel’s post can be found here. (Hebrew) The post has images of all the relevant material.